THE conspiracy of silence around sexual harassment against women has been dealt several body blows this autumn.

It started with the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which has now developed into a full-blown horror story of abuse and sexual assault by this powerful man, to exposés of misogyny in public institutions, media workplaces and now our own parliaments across the UK. Every day, revelation after revelation rolls forth on social media, on television, in our newspapers, each story a painful read or hard listen.

The terrible truth is, none of this is new. With each awful headline or tweet I’m reminded that most women have experienced sexual harassment to lesser or worse degrees at some point in their life, from awkward unwanted advances to sniggering jokes about our bodies to full-blown rape and assault, with most women scared of speaking out. What if they weren’t believed or, worse, accused of colluding?

In the midst of all this pain, it’s disappointing to see certain female commentators or journalists pitted against each other over how they coped with sexual harassment by some of their male colleagues. This week TV presenter Anne Robinson came under fire, and rightfully so, for suggesting that women complaining of sexual harassment in the workplace nowadays are more “fragile” than the robust women of her day. Her suggestion of giving these creepy men a slap and getting on with it seems to be a rather pathetic and inadequate response in light of some recent headlines.

I think Robinson, and many women of her generation, are confusing being tough with being practical – in the past, women only laughed it off because they had no choice, they knew if they spoke out they’d either be ignored, ridiculed or lose their job. It was about survival.

Women internalised this everyday lack of respect and often wondered what they had done to cause it, their self-esteem likely plummeting in the process. And the perpetrators continued their abuse unfettered and unconcerned with being caught in the act.

Blaming the victim for not taking control is not the way to end this culture of acceptance on sexual harassment. Women are not being “hysterical” when they have the courage to come forward and say how much these experiences have damaged them. It’s got to be challenged by more than a resigned shrug of our shoulders. We owe that to this generation of young women.

The fact is it goes on in every walk of life and we’re kidding ourselves if we think certain workplaces are immune from its toxic effects. I’m horrified but not surprised by the revelations of sexism and harassment towards women at Westminster and Holyrood. As a former female MP who has been “woofed” at in the chamber as well as propositioned and called colourful names, I’ve personally felt the full force of the old boys’ club, coming together to keep a new female parliamentarian “in line”. It’s not news to any woman working in the corridors of power that certain individuals have used their male sexuality and power to abuse and objectify their female colleagues. No wonder many young women are put off going for a career in politics.

And no woman, no matter her status or power, is immune from sexist treatment. Who can forget the Daily Mail’s infamous “Legs It” headline earlier this year, where Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May were photographed meeting to discuss the intense implications of Brexit for Scotland. Echoing Robinson’s take on these matters, May excused the headline as a bit of harmless banter, while our First Minister was rightfully rather more critical of the newspaper’s misogynist approach. But headlines like these, which focus on women’s bodies over the important work they do, are all about putting women in their place, of taking away their power, their authority or their perceived threat to a fragile patriarchy.

I’m sure by the time you read this article, more shocking news on the abuse of women by powerful men will be firing discussions on social media and in the press, and the heads of influential company leaders and politicians will start to roll. But will these revelations be enough to weed out the misogynistic rot at the heart of many of our organisations, or will we return to the status quo until the next scandal hits the newsdesks?

What happens next is of vital importance. The women coming forward with these claims have to be protected. The accused must get a fair hearing. Proper processes must be followed. And consequences must ensue.

But let’s make this completely clear – it’s not enough for firms, work institutions and public bodies to send offenders on a course; it’s not enough to move the perpetrator after a full apology to another department or wag fingers and issue warnings of “next time you’re out”. Where there is evidence of sexual harassment, there must be zero tolerance. Unacceptable behaviour can no longer be ignored or explained away. We must protect young women from the kinds of exploitation generations before them tolerated. Once this happens, no-one can turn back the clocks.